A detailed and exhaustive history of the Norwegian People, written in two volumes. The author, Knut Gjerset, was born in Western Norway in 1865 and immigrated to Chippewa County, Minnesota, in the US with his parents in 1871 and his brother Oluf later got elected to public office there. He received a B.A. in Literature from the University of Minnesota, and also studied at John's Hopkins University from 1895-1896, and the University of Heidelberg, where he was awarded a PhD, from 1896-1898. This first volume deals with the Norwegian History from the earliest times, to the early 14th century and covers topics such as: Prehistoric Norway and iron and Bronze age cultures in the area, the Viking era, The Christianization of Norway and some related information on Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland/Orkney Islands, etc., Early kings of Norway, Norway in the Crusades, and foreign policy reformations at the beginning of the Late Middle Ages. - Summary by Ærik Bjørnsson
Chapters
1 Preface 3 min 2 The Country and Its Resources 14 min 3 Scandinavia in Prehistoric Times, The Stone Age 4 min 4 The Bronze Age 3 min 5 The Iron Age 11 min 6 The Migrations 16 min 7 The People 8 min 8 The Dawn of Historic Norway 8 min 9 The Early Viking Expeditions 3 min 10 The Vikings in Ireland and in the Islands 3 min 11 The Vikings in France and Spain 9 min 12 The Vikings in England 10 min 13 Alfred the Great and the Vikings 6 min 14 Names Applied to the Vikings 2 min 15 Struggle Between Norsemen and Danes in Ireland 4 min 16 The Viking Expeditions Eastward. Founding of the Russian Kingdom. The Varangians in Constantinople 9 min 17 Life and Culture in the Viking Age 13 min 18 Causes of the Viking Expeditions 2 min 19 Towns and Commerce 11 min 20 Dress, Houses, Food, and Drink 16 min 21 Religion and Literature 30 min 22 Early Social Conditions in Norway 19 min 23 The Origin of the Yngling Dynasty 3 min 24 Harald Haarfagre. Unification of Norway 18 min 25 Events Outside of Norway. The Norse Colonial Empire. The Orkney and Shetland Islands 16 min 26 Iceland and the Faroe Islands 11 min 27 Finmarken 5 min 28 Normandy and the Normans 14 min 29 The Norse Colonies in Great Britain and Ireland 5 min 30 The Fall of the Kingdom of York 3 min 31 The Battle of Brunanburh 5 min 32 The Last Years of Harald Haarfagre's Reign 2 min 33 Eirik Blood-Ax 9 min 34 Haakon the Good 8 min 35 The Sons of Eirik Blood-Ax. Haakon Jarl the Leader of the Aristocracy. Loss of National Unity and Independence 12 min 36 Olaf Tryggvason. The Introduction of Christianity in Norway 27 min 37 Introduction of Christianity in the Faroe Islands and Iceland 16 min 38 The Discovery and Colonization of Greenland 14 min 39 The Discovery of the Mainland of North America 32 min 40 The Downfall of the Viking Dominion in Ireland. The Battle of Clontarf 14 min 41 The Norsemen in the Hebrides and in the Isle of Man 11 min 42 The Norsemen in Scotland 19 min 43 Conditions in Norway During the Reign of the Jarls Eirik and Svein 7 min 44 Olav Haraldsson or Olav the Saint 12 min 45 Foreign Relations 3 min 46 King Olav Establishes Christianity in Norway. His Laws and Administration 18 min 47 Norway Under Danish Overlordship. The Battle of Stiklestad. King Olav the Saint 14 min 48 Magnus the Good. The Union of Norway and Denmark 20 min 49 The Reign of Harald Haardraade 16 min 50 The Second Conquest of England 15 min 51 Olav Kyrre. The Period of Peace 19 min 52 The Revival of the Viking Spirit. Magnus Barefoot 15 min 53 The Norwegian Coat of Arms 3 min 54 Norway Participates in the Crusades. Eystein Magnusson and Sigurd the Crusader 17 min 55 King Eystein Magnusson's Reign. The Acquisition of Jæmtland 30 min 56 The Reign of King Sigurd the Crusader 8 min 57 The Period of Civil Wars. Magnus the Blind, Harald Gille, and Sigurd Slembediakn 20 min 58 The Inner Organization and Growth of the Church of Norway 21 min 59 Ragnvald Jarl's Crusade 7 min 60 The Second Stage of Civil Wars. The Rule of Erling Skakke and Magnus Erlingsson 23 min 61 The English Conquest of Ireland. Events in the Colonies 13 min 62 Sverre Sigurdsson and the Birkebeiner 22 min 63 King Sverre's Reign 24 min 64 Birkebeiner and Bagler. King Sverre and Pope Innocent III 25 min 65 King Sverre's Immediate Successors 7 min 66 King Haakon Haakonsson and Skule Jarl 23 min 67 King Haakon's Coronation. Colonial Affairs 15 min 68 Crusades and Crusaders 16 min 69 The Annexation of Iceland and Greenland 10 min 70 Haakon Haakonsson's Expedition to the Hebrides. The Close of the Reign 11 min 71 Literature and Culture in the Age of Haakon Haakonsson 30 min 72 Magnus Haakonsson Lagabøter. A New System of Jurisprudence 23 min 73 The Growth of Trade and the Origin of a Distinct Commercial Policy 13 min 74 The Reign of Eirik Magnusson 22 min 75 Haakon Magnusson the Elder. The Change of Norway's Foreign Policy 21 min
